


A World Together/Apart

by eleni459 (quietcuriosity)



Series: Turbulence and Tranquility: 30 Kisses for Anemone and Dominic [3]
Category: Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven | Eureka seveN (Anime)
Genre: Canon - Anime, Community: 30_kisses, Dancing, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-27
Updated: 2007-05-27
Packaged: 2017-10-22 00:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/231704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietcuriosity/pseuds/eleni459
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A dance is never just a dance. It all depends on one's partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A World Together/Apart

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=30_kisses)[30_kisses](http://www.livejournal.com/users/30_kisses/). The theme: "#04 - our distance and that person".
> 
> Contains spoilers for episode 43.

And since then  
I can’t see straight  
And since then  
My smile’s been fake

\- Rufus Wainwright, “Baby”

* * *

He had taught her to dance.

As members of the nobility and military elite tossed her around the ballroom, Anemone wished that Dominic could have come with her. Despite their tiff, he wouldn’t have hesitated to pry her away from the lead-footed dignitaries. His job, after all, was to make her life as pleasant as possible. Any altercation that came from this would merely be a portion of his duties.

“Are you happy tonight?” asked the blond man who had taken her hand.

“Sure,” she mumbled, distant.

“Are you certain?”

She looked up into his dark, worried eyes and, for a moment, saw a glimmer of Dominic. Her mind flashed back to that day in her room. “I certainly am,” she said, smiling –

* * *

“Teach me, Dominic!”

“I don’t quite have the time. Surely, you have someone else who can help you?”

“I have no one else. You KNOW that.” Her voice sounded gruff and strained. Her eyes began to tear up. If this display wouldn’t turn him toward her will, she didn’t know what she would do.

Dominic sighed. He fished out his pocket watch and, glancing at it, announced, “I have ten minutes. I’ll see what I can do.”

Anemone wiped mildly at her eyes. The tears had dried within seconds of forming. She just couldn’t let him realize that. “What will we do?” she asked as she cheerfully jumped from her bed.

“Something simple.” He offered her a slight bow and held out his right hand. “Your hand, milady.”

“Certainly.” Anemone giggled as she placed her hand in his. _Be nice and sweet_ , she thought. _Give him something to make him think that it’s worth is trouble_. But the moment he put his hand in the middle of her back, she shuddered and wiggled out of his grasp. “What the hell was that?”

“It’s where I put my hand,” explained Dominic. “That’s how the dance works.”

“All right.” Anemone offered him her hand. “What kind of pervert taught you to feel someone up like that?”

“None of your concern…and she wasn’t a pervert, regardless of what you think.”

“I said ‘all right’. Jeeze!” She would have gone on like that had she not noticed the angry glint in his eye. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “What do we do next?”

“Let me lead. You’ll get the hang of it quickly.”

And so she did. Though she tried to take his lead, she soon became annoyed. “We’re just moving in a circle,” she sulked.

“Technically, we’re moving in a square. And don’t stomp around like that. Just let your foot glide.”

“If you insist.” She took a cautious step forward, making sure to not to repeat the steps she had made before. But Dominic moved too fast, and Anemone lost her footing and slipped to the floor. “What was that!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. And didn’t mean to leave you behind.”

“This is too hard!” she screamed. “I don’t want to do it anymore.”

“No, no! You’ve pulled me away from my duties. I won’t let you quit so easily.” Dominic stood before her, his right hand extended in her direction. “Let’s try again.”

Anemone stared at him a moment. Was _this_ really Dominic? He was forceful and in control. He had never spoken to her in such a way before. She almost liked it. “If you insist,” she said as she latched onto his hand. “But be careful this time. If I’m too bruised, Dewey will ruin you.”

“Understood.” They started again. This time, Anemone kept her eyes to the ground, careful to notice where his feet were going. He wasn’t going to take her by surprise again. After a minute, she realized that she had become accustomed to the movement. She looked up at him and asked, “Am I doing okay?”

“You’re a pro.” His eyes darted to a clock on the wall. “And I’m going to be late.”

“You can’t stop now! I’m just beginning to have fun!”

“It can’t be helped.” They stopped in the spot in which they began. Dominic pulled away from her but still kept his hand extended. “May I take your hand?”

Anemone shrugged and gave it to him. Before she could stop him, he had taken it to his lips and planted a small kiss on it. “Pervert!” she hissed. “What was that for?”

“It’s what one does in polite society once the dance is done. I didn’t mean any harm.”

“Oh…okay.” She didn’t want to press him any further. After all, she might have to admit that she liked it, if only slightly. “You can go now,” she said. “If you tell them what kept you so long, tell them it was me. No one’s going to do anything to you if you tell them it was Dewey’s princess who kept you so long.”

“I’ll be sure to that.” Dominic tipped his hat to her and said, “Goodnight, dancing partner.”

“Goodnight.” She waited until he left to rush to the mirror. Just as she expected, her face had flushed a fresh pink. She merely sulked and slipped to the floor. “Stupid boy,” she murmured. “Stupid for doing this to me.” –

* * *

Anemone phased back into reality as their dance was ending. Though she had dream walked through their dance, the look on her partner’s face said that she had been a graceful dancer. He leaned in for a kiss. Horrified, Anemone did only what was natural: she placed her hand in front of his face. “I was taught that this was what we did in this sort of situation.”

He smiled and offered a half-hearted laugh. “Of course,” he said before kissing her hand. “Did you enjoy it as much as I did, Anemone?”

“Of course,” she said, smiling. She couldn’t let on that she hadn’t been there with him during the dance. She couldn’t let on that his kiss had left her cold.


End file.
